Apotheosis
by The Storyteller of Dreams
Summary: "Welcome to the Velvet Room," the old man with the long, hooked nose and large grin greeted Orihara Izaya, "I am Igor, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance." AU - Durarara/Persona fusion fic.
1. Prologue: Butterfly Dreamer

**Neither life nor death is static,**

 **Change will always come to all life,**

 **As one undergoes the journey to death,**

 **One's soul metamorphoses, transforms, and evolves**

 **The wanderer moves towards an uncertain future,**

 **And the reflection of his past in the mirror changes.**

* * *

Prologue: Butterfly Dreamer

* * *

 _In his dream, he was a butterfly._

 _His wings were blue, slowly unfolding within his shell, cracking open the confines of the cocoon. The first ray of sunlight nearly blinded him, but the silky mist smothering his resting place blanketed him from its piercing radiance. Then, gradually, he shook, the motion tingling his newly formed wings. With a struggle, he burst free from the confining cocoon and into the hazy, bright world._

 _There was a voice:_

" _Change is inevitable…" it said, a lovely chorus of masculine and feminine tones, the lilt of a child and an adult settling in his ears. He knew this voice, this speaker._ _ **I am thou…Thou art I…**_

" _Change is inevitable," the voice of humanity repeated, and he fluttered his wings gently with its cadence, "As one goes from birth to death, down the path to the inexorable end, the soul changes, transforms…"_

 _It whispered:_

" _Metamorphoses and evolves, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly."_

 _Suddenly, the light vanished, leaving him quivering in empty darkness._

" _But change does not come without a price. A lesson learned without pain is meaningless."_

 _He was floating, but he was fluttering down, down, down, unable to stop his slow descent._

" _Change will come when the pain of staying of staying the same hurts more than the pain of changing."_

 _Abruptly, his descent stopped, and he realised he had landed on a smooth, reflective surface. Reflected on the mirror was himself; red eyes, dark hair, and slim, lanky build._

" _But the pain that will come as you make your was through destiny will be too much for you to bear alone. And so I offer my help."_

 _From the centre of his reflection's heart, a crack formed. Slowly, it spread, weaving fragile spiderweb fractures all across the smooth surface. The face in the mirror looked back at him with wide, fearful eyes._

" _Do you wish to form a contract with me?"_

 _The mirror shattered._

* * *

A new rumour had spread in Ikebukuro.

It is said that once the clock struck midnight, a new world would open.

A world inside a reflection.

In certain places—in certain mirrors or bodies of water—it is said that one could find the gateways to that other world.

A world without humans.

A world filled with monsters.

It is said that the new world had an otherworldly ambience. A black, starless sky as a backdrop, and the city painted in all shades of purple.

In the first couple of months since the rumour's birth, there was a trend among the young and adventurous to seek out this new world.

In the same couple of months, the number of missing person reports had increased.

Most of those missing people were later found dead in front of mirrors or bodies of water.

Their cause of death was said to be bizarre. Inhuman. As if a monster had ripped through them.

The few who returned gained an aversion to all kinds of reflective surfaces.

And so it came to be that the realm in the reflection was called the Floating World.

Following that, the time in which the gateways were opened was named the Witching Hour.

A new rumour had spread in Ikebukuro.

* * *

When Orihara Izaya opened his eyes, he stood in a room filled with mirrors.

Mirrors of all shapes and sizes were hung up everywhere. Some of them magnified his reflection, some minimised it, some inverted it, and so on and so forth. They came in eccentric frames too. There were gothic-style frames, modernistic stylish ones, bizarre ones that didn't seem to be made of any known metal or wood, and more. The most peculiar thing was, however, that they were all in blue.

In the centre of the room sat an old man in a black suit, his long nose reminding Izaya of a tengu's beak and his large grin reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat's. He sat in a plush blue sofa, and in front of him was a modern, glass-covered coffee table with a comfortable looking chair facing him. Right behind the old man was a large, elaborately-crafted, floor-to-ceiling frame. Izaya assumed it was another mirror, but he couldn't tell for certain since swathes of blue curtains covered it.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," the old man with the long, hooked nose and large grin greeted Orihara Izaya, "I am Igor, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

.

.

.

 _End of Prologue_

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

* * *

So…a Durarara/Persona fusion fic…

I'm kind of excited to write this, but at the same time, the idea just came to me today and I haven't fully fleshed it out yet. Moreover, I am _nowhere near_ done with First Impressions, and I want to update that fic twice a week. As it is, I'm not quite sure if I'll continue this yet, or simply let it be like this, but well, we'll see, I guess…

 **Fun Facts:**

 **1.** The poem you see in the very beginning of this story is something I made up to mimic what Igor says every time you get a game over. As I'm writing this story, I'm imagining playing a new instalment in the Persona series with the Durarara cast as the characters and Ikebukuro as the setting. So I wanted to make some kind of game over quote that Igor may say if the game was real. ;)

 **2.** The Velvet Room changes its appearance according to its guest. In Persona 3, it's the inside of an elevator that is endlessly ascending, at least until the protagonist creates the Universe Arcana. In Persona 4, it's a limousine while in the Persona 5 trailers it seems to take the appearance of a prison. In here, it is a room filled with mirrors, representing Izaya's many facades and masks which he wears every day. The large, floor-to-ceiling mirror at the back of the room is supposed to reflect his true self, however it is covered up to show that Izaya hasn't yet discovered/accepted who he really is.

 **3.** On the subject of butterflies and dreams, a Chinese philosopher by the name of Zhuangzi said: _"Once, I dreamt I was a butterfly. I forgot myself and knew only my happiness as a butterfly. Soon, I awoke, and I was myself again. Did I dream that I was a butterfly? Or do I now dream that I am a man? Yet there is a distinction between myself and the butterfly. This is a transformation of the physical."_ Interestingly, this quote was used for the opening of the first Persona game.

 **4.** The voice Izaya heard in his dream was Philemon, who is also Igor's—and by default the rest of the Velvet Room denizens—master. Philemon is the anthropomorphic personification of all of humanity's good points, such as their creativity and will to live, and he is the one who grants Personas and make contracts with the protagonists of the Persona games, giving them the Wild Card ability. He is often represented by a blue or gold butterfly.

 **5.** On that note, in the _Persona_ series, the **Wild Card** is the ability to form a contract allowing one to access and summon multiple Personas and switch between them in battle, and the ability to change bonds into strength (Social Links). The Wild Card is most closely related to the Fool Arcana, with its Tarot numeral being zero (0). The term is also associated with the capabilities of **Fusion Spells** , where multiple Personas are summoned at the same time in order to execute a powerful attack. Those who possess the Wild Card are often symbolised with multiple of masks. _(Taken from Shin Megami Tensei wikia)_

 **6.** During Japan's Edo period (1615–1868) the phrase "the Floating World" (Ukiyo) evoked an imagined universe of wit, stylishness, and extravagance—with overtones of naughtiness, hedonism, and transgression. Implicit was a contrast to the humdrum of everyday obligation. The concept of the Floating World began in the Japanese heartland, migrated eastward, and came to full flower in Edo (present-day Tokyo), where its main venues were popular Kabuki theaters and red-light districts. _(Taken from Khan Academy)_

When I read this I thought _'Hey, isn't that a good name for a world created by humanity's warped desires? It sounds poetic, and it's really fitting for Durarara, I believe.'_

 **7.** The main theme of Persona 3 is death, while in Persona 4 it is truth. In contrast to that, the main theme here, as shown in the poem and dream, is _change._ When you really think about it, the only character that doesn't develop is Izaya. Celty grew to accept her situation, Shizuo learned how to control his strength a bit, Mikado showed his badass side, Kida stopped running away, and Anri came to believe that even though she harbours Saika, she can still be accepted by others. It is ironic that the person who said _"_ _The only way to truly escape the mundane is for you to constantly evolve,"_ is the only one who _doesn't_ change or develop. Instead, he continues on trolling and wreaking havoc for fun _(and a chance to start Ragnarok)_. This is why I posed some questions as I made this chapter:

 _Can a person so set in his ways change? Can somebody who wears so many masks, who is so good at crafting them that he deceives himself, face his true self and evolve? Can a monster become a human, a human, a god, and a god, a monster?_

 **8.** On that note, the main colour motif in Persona 3 and 4 is blue and yellow respectively. In here, it's purple, hence why the Floating World is described as _"…city painted in all shades of purple_ ". Purple symbolises magic, mystery, the sub-conscious and dignity, but it can also mean decadence, conceit, and pomposity. It can also be taken as the colour of mourning.

 **9.** If I really _do_ end up continuing this, then it'll probably be set before Awakusu Akane met Izaya, so before the Dollars and Blue Squares arc.

 _This fun fact seems to go on longer than it meant to be…_


	2. Waking Dream

Title: Apotheosis

Summary: _"Welcome to the Velvet Room," the old man with the long, hooked nose and large grin greeted Orihara Izaya, "I am Igor, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance." A Durarara/Persona fusion fic._

 _ **Apotheosis**_ (from Greek ἀποθέωσις from ἀποθεοῦν, _apotheoun_ "to deify"; in Latin _deificatio_ "making divine"; also called **divinization** and **deification** ) is _**the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god**_ _ **.**_

* * *

 _I've awaken to a new world, bright and clear,_

 _But the trails of dreams linger on,_

 _Bleeding in the corners, seeping through the seams,_

 _The dream hasn't ended,_

 _It has followed the dreamer into the waking world._

* * *

Chapter 1: Waking Dream

* * *

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," the old man with the long, hooked nose and large grin greeted Orihara Izaya, "I am Igor; it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Izaya let a smile tugged his mouth, affecting a friendly façade to mask his confusion. "Ah, Igor-san," he purred, sauntering over towards him and seating himself in the chair in front of the stranger, "Forgive me, but it seems I am lost. I certainly do not recall ever coming here."

"Perhaps you did not intend to come here, but you arrived here anyway because of necessity," Igor replied, still smiling that large, Cheshire Cat-grin. He pushed forward a slip of paper on the coffee table, "You have signed a contract with my master, Orihara Izaya-san. Henceforth, you are a guest of the Velvet Room and may use its services to prepare for the trials to come."

Izaya glanced down at the sheaf of paper, inwardly frowning as he saw his signature. _'I chooseth this fate of mine own free will,'_ it said, and nothing else about its purpose, goals, or limitations. What was that supposed to mean? What was he supposed to do? As an informant, Izaya was used to reading and signing contracts, looking over the written words to find loopholes and cracks he could use. But this? It was so vague, he couldn't understand what he was supposed to do, let alone cheat himself out of it.

"I don't recall ever signing that," the brunet said, still smiling pleasantly. His crimson eyes, however, gained a hint of ice.

"And yet there it is; your signature," Igor replied, unperturbed by the silent threat, "And further proof of that is your presence here. Only those who have signed the contract can enter the Velvet Room."

The lack of concrete information sparked a slow simmer of irritation inside Izaya. It was like dealing with another Tsukumoya Shinichi, much to his annoyance. As an informant, it was practically a necessity for him to have as much information on anything and everything, to affect the appearance of an omniscient god and maintain his survival value. To be left in a place he did not remember going to, to lack knowledge of his current situation and location…it aggravated the brunet more than he cared to admit.

"What is the Velvet Room, then?" he asked, voice honey-sweet and viper-poisoned, "And where is it located?"

"The Velvet Room exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is invisible to all except those with high spiritual sensitivity, and can only be accessed by those who have formed a contract," Igor explained, "It is rooted in humanity's collective unconscious, and it is where one can summon and fuse Personas in preparation for the trials to come."

"Interesting," Izaya remarked, and this time, he really meant it. He leaned back against his chair, crossing one leg over the other and observed the strange being in front of him. Perhaps others would have questioned the validity of that statement, but to someone who has dealt with headless fairies and monsters in human flesh regularly, the possibility of a realm within humanity's collective unconscious was not only acceptable, but thrilling. To know that only _he_ could access it—well, doesn't that made Izaya special? "How very Carl Jung of you."

The old man grinned at him, and while it may looked creepy to others, to Izaya it was the softness in his eyes which indicated a kindness he wasn't familiar with that made him uncomfortable. "I understand that you still have many questions, but rest assured, they will all be answered in time," he took out a blue key from his pocket and offered it to him, "This is the Velvet Key. With this, you can return to this room anytime you like," Igor smiled, "Now, I believe our time is up. Time marches onward in your world, and I shall not delay you from returning to it."

"Very well then," Izaya said, standing up, his fox-like grin still in place, "One more question before I go, though. What are the requirements to fulfil the contract?"

"I cannot tell you that, for this is your path to take; the destination—yours to decide," Igor chuckled, grinning up at him, "All I ask is that you take responsibility for your actions, whatever they may be."

Before Izaya could counter _("That's not an answer!")_ his vision went black.

The dreamer had awoken, but that does not mean the dream had ended.

* * *

Izaya woke up with the brunt of the morning sun hitting his cheek.

He groaned, blearily rubbing sleep off his eyes. A glance at his bedside clock revealed the time to be 9 a.m.—he overslept. Given the strange dream he had though, the brunet thought that it was reasonable. He didn't have any meetings in the morning anyways, and at least the dream had been entertaining. What was it called again—the Velvet Room? And that strange old man, too, with the tengu-like nose—

There was a weight on his chest.

Slowly, disbelievingly, Izaya reached up to his neck and gripped the necklace he didn't remember putting on. Incredulously, he brought it to eye level and opened his fist, revealing the blue key Igor had given him in his dream.

 _It wasn't a dream._

First came shock, and then, like a wave, laughter spilled out from his throat. Giddiness bubbled up in his chest and he grinned widely as he stared at the key. He laughed and laughed and _laughed,_ nearly manic in his intensity. Doubling over and clutching the sheets, his mind swirled with endless possibilities and future scenarios.

"Oh," he purred into the morning light and empty room, "things are going to be _interesting_."

* * *

He had a meeting with Shiki at his base at 4 p.m., but since he had time, Izaya decided to crack open his books and do some research.

As a lover of humanity, Izaya had many psychology books. How could he not, when that was the field of study that offered the most insight to his most beloved subject? And, _oh,_ the things he learnt from it. From Freud's psychosexual development to cognitive psychology, from classical conditioning to observational learning—who cares if there wasn't any Grand Unified Theory that connected them all like physics? That was what made it _interesting!_ There were so many theories on humanity's actions, that if Izaya found himself bored with one lens in which to view them, he could swap it with a different lens. And through seeing humanity through different lenses, he could see all the colourful, twisted facets they had to offer.

And wasn't that what lovers do—saw their beloved so perfectly; they could gaze at all their expressions forever?

 _Humans are the most intriguing creatures on this planet._

He chuckled to himself. Yes, that was true. Humanity was _so_ interesting! They never stopped to amaze and amuse him. Like now; the Velvet Room, Igor— _located in humanity's collective unconscious, he said,_ Izaya mused, fingers skimming over the spines of his books, until his eyes alighted on the one he was searching for. _My, my,_ _who would have thought that Carl Jung was right?_

Grinning, the brunet took out the _Red Book_ by Carl Jung from its resting place. Meandering to his armchair, he curled up by the window with the book in his lap. Technically, he had work to do downstairs, but he was certain that Namie could handle most of the load. Besides, if she complained, then all he had to do was remind her of who was signing her paychecks.

Gently, he opened the book and ran a hand over the colourful calligraphy and pictures drawn by Jung, retelling his journey to the unconscious. Back when he was a university student, Izaya had never taken much stock in the man's work, though he did find it amusing. No one else did either; Jung's work was considered pseudo-science at best in the field of psychology as there was no way to provide tangible evidence on the existence of the collective unconscious. Now though, all the proof he needed was right here, resting against his heart in the shape of a key.

As he read the book, Izaya tried to remember what he learnt on Jung. The Swiss psychiatrist believed that archetypes are models of people behaviours or personalities, and he had suggested that the psyche was made up of three parts: the ego, the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. According to Jung, the ego represented the conscious mind, while the personal unconscious contains memories, including those that had been suppressed. The collective unconscious was a unique component in that Jung believed that this part of the psyche served as a form of psychological inheritance. It contained all of the knowledge and experiences humans share as a species.

Jung identified four major archetypes; but he also believed that there were no limits to the number that may exist. The first is the Self, which represented the unification of the unconsciousness and consciousness of the individual. Second is the Shadow, which existed as part of the unconscious mind and was composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings. After that is the Anima or Animus. Females have the Animus, which represented their masculine side, while males have the Anima, which represented their feminine side. When the Anima and Animus are combined, it was called a _'syzygy'_ , which created wholeness, unification, and a feeling of completeness. For this reason, the Anima and Animus were representative of a person's 'true self', and were the main source of communication with the collective unconscious.

The last major archetype he identified was the Persona, and Izaya was especially interested in this one because Igor had mentioned it. The Persona was how people represent themselves to the world. It protected the ego from negative images—akin to a mask one wore to face hardship—and could appear in dreams in many different forms. What does this mean in his situation though? How would Izaya use Persona? What form would it take?

 _It's interesting! It's all so interesting!_

Izaya couldn't stop himself from grinning for the rest of the day.

* * *

Four o'clock came and went and before he knew it, Izaya was seated on a sofa in front of Shiki.

"Have you heard about the Floating World and the Witching Hour?" the yakuza executive began.

Izaya grinned. "Of course I have, Shiki-san," he purred, then ventured a guess. "I assume something happened relating it? Did one of your men get lost in the Floating World?"

"Yes and no," Shiki replied, "In the past week, ten of my men went missing. Five of them were later found dead in front of mirrors, puddles or fountains—any kind of reflective surface, like the rumours say—but three of them managed to return." He leaned back, the lines of his mouth set in a neutral frown. "Tell me, do you know what happened to the survivors?"

"I heard that they gained a fear of any reflective surfaces." Izaya answered.

"There's more to it than that," Shiki's voice was rough, but it carried no hint of a grumble or grouse, "They completely reject change. The first couple of days, they seemed fine, but when they were given new tasks to do or told to do things differently, they completely refused. And if we forced them to change their routine, they would go hysterical or berserk."

 _How interesting!_

Crimson eyes gleamed with curiosity, his grin twisting up into a smirk. "Fascinating," he said, "All three of them exhibits the same symptoms?"

The yakuza executive nodded. "Yes, that is why you are here. You are to gather information on the Floating World, find my missing men, and report back to me."

"Very well then," Izaya nodded, smiling like a fox, "You may consider it done, Shiki-san."

* * *

With Heiwajima Shizuo around, Ikebukuro was a dangerous place to be in during the day. At night, however, when the brute got off work and was most likely tired after a day of beating up debtors, the probability of his survival grew to Izaya's favour, and so he returned to the city he loved a little before midnight.

The part he had chosen was a secluded one, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city's neverending crowd of people. The streetlights lining the park were its only source of illumination, the light glinting off the pond in its centre. There was no moon tonight, and the smog and light pollution from the city blocked out all the stars. If he was a lesser man, he might have been frightened.

Orihara Izaya was no lesser man though, and all he felt was the thrill of the unknown.

He flipped open his phone. The brightness of the screen was a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding him, and he had to squint his eyes to read the time: _23:59._

The brunet grinned, counting off the seconds out loud.

"Ten…"

"Nine…"

"Eight…"

"Seven…"

"Six…"

"Five…" a cold wind blew across the pond, and despite the warmth of his jacket, Izaya shivered reflexively. There was something ominous in its coldness, something that settled chill against his bones. He grinned wider in response. "Four…"

"Three," another gust of wind blew, sending ripples across the still light-specked pond. Giddily, Izaya skipped towards it, hands in his pockets as he leaned forward to look down at his reflection in the water. "Two."

He whispered:

" _One."_

Violet light illuminated the pond, washing away his reflection with its luminance, and whisking him away to another world.

The dream had now merged with reality.

* * *

 **FUN FACTS**

* * *

 **1.** _'Izaya had many psychology books'_ – My personal headcanon is that Izaya's a psychology major back when he went to university. It fits, considering how he loves humans and psychology is the science of understanding the human psyche.

 **2.** _Freud's Psychosexual Development_ – First up, let me tell you that there are _many_ theories of human development in psychology, and Freud, while famous, is just one of them. Freud proposed that psychological development in childhood takes place in a series of fixed stages.

These are called psychosexual stages because each stage represents the fixation of libido (roughly translated as sexual drives or instincts) on a different area of the body. As a person grows physically certain areas of their body become important as sources of potential frustration (erogenous zones), pleasure or both. These five stages are: Oral Stage (0-1 year), Anal Stage (1-3 year), Phallic Stage (3-5/6 year; it's in this stage that the Oedipus Complex emerge), Latency Stage (5/6 year to puberty) and Genital Stage (puberty to adulthood).

 **3.** _Cognitive Psychology_ – A field of psychology which studies human mental processes and their role in thinking, feeling and behaving. Cognitive psychologists study internal processes including perception, attention, language, memory, and thinking. I find it interesting because we often take it for granted that we can think and automatically organise knowledge, when in fact the process is actually pretty complex. When dealing with memory, for example, we have to go through three stages: encoding _(how we capture the information),_ storage _(how we store and retain the information),_ and retrieval _(recalling or recognising information that have been previously stored)_.

 **4.** _Classical Conditioning_ – Discovered by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian scientist back in the 20th century. Classical conditioning theory involves learning a new behavior via the process of association. In simple terms two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal. There are three stages of classical conditioning:

 **Classical Conditioning Diagram:**

 **Meat (US)** **Dog drools (UR)**

 **Bell (NS)** **Dog doesn't drool**

 **Bell (NS): Meat (US)** **Dog drools** _ **(in this stage, the bell is presented with the meat)**_

 **Bell (CS)** **Dog drools (CS)** _ **(after multiple pairing between bell and meat, the dog comes to associate the bell with the meat. When the bell rings, the dog anticipates meat will appear and so it will drool)**_

 **Legend:**

 **Unconditioned Stimulus (US) –** _ **Stimulus which you don't have to learn to react to**_

 **Unconditioned Response (UR)** _ **– Response to a stimulus which you don't have to learn to do**_

 **Neutral Stimulus (NS) –** _ **Stimulus which holds no meaning to you/Doesn't trigger response**_

 **Conditioned Stimulus (CS) –** _ **Stimulus which, through multiple pairing, you come to associate with a US and trigger a reaction**_

 **Conditioned Response (CR) –** _ **Response to a conditioned stimulus**_

 **5.** _Observational Learning_ – Observational learning, or modeling, is a type of learning most associated with the work and social learning theory of psychologist Albert Bandura. In order for observational learning to occur, the observer must pay attention to an action, remember the observed behavior, be able to replicate the behavior, and be motivated to produce the behavior. Furthermore, if a model is rewarded for his or her actions, an observer is more likely to replicate the behavior. The more an observer likes or respects the model, the more likely they are to replicate their behavior.

 **6.** _Grand Unified Theory_ \- The Grand Unified Theory is a vision of a physics theory that can combine three of the four fundamental forces into one single equation. The four forces are the Strong Nuclear Force, the Weak Nuclear Force, the Electro-Magnetic Force, and the Gravitational Force. The EM and Weak forces were initially thought to be two separate forces until scientists discovered one theory (the Electro Weak theory) to explain both of them and then went on to observe this unified force in action (much like Maxwell unified the electric and magnetic forces into the Electro-Magnetic Force).

 **7.** _'…who would have thought that Carl Jung was right?'_ – Carl Jung's theory on the collective unconscious and archetypes isn't really accepted in psychology because, well, how can you observe and quantify it? It's still used in the arts and humanities field, though, and his theory on personality is the base for the MBTI personality test.

 **8.** _Red Book_ _by Carl Jung_ \- A red leather‐bound folio manuscript crafted by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung between 1915 and about 1930. It recounts and comments upon the author's imaginative experiences between 1913 and 1916, and is based on manuscripts first drafted by Jung in 1914‐15 and 1917. Despite being nominated as the central work in Jung's oeuvre, it was not published or made otherwise accessible for study until 2009 _(though I can imagine Izaya using his connections and influences to get a copy)_.


End file.
